MAZATLAN BILLFISH CLASSIC
OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES

Cash Prizes

The tournament utilizes a modified release format and has two primary divisions as described herein. Winners will be awarded their cash prizes based on the percentages as outlined. A single team can claim only one of the "cash prize places" in each category. All Daily Jackpot and Super Jackpot winners will be based solely on the rules of the billfish division. In the event of a tie, places involved will divide prizes evenly. Mexico has federal and state taxes much like the U.S. Taxes are required and will be withheld from all cash prizes.

Cash Prize Categories 

Billfish Division; Most Overall Points: 1st place team 40% of total entry fees; 2nd place team 17% of total entry fees; 3rd place team 6% of total entry fees. Gamefish Division; Heaviest Fish Over 25 lbs: 1st place team 5% of total entry fees; 2nd place team 2% of total entry fees. Optional Jackpots: All Daily Jackpots and Super Jackpot, are paid on a winner-take-all basis, with 85% of the Daily Jackpots and 90% of the Super Jackpot entry fees going to the winning participants.

Billfish Division

Black, Blue and Striped Marlin, Sailfish, and Swordfish are eligible. The minimum weight for marlin has been established initially at 225 pounds. This minimum marlin weight could be adjusted upward after reviewing fishing conditions and catches a few weeks prior to the tournament. All Sailfish are required to be released and the minimum weight for Swordfish is 150 pounds. Scoring of points by teams will be determined as follows: For a boated marlin or Swordfish over the minimum weight, the team will receive two points per pound for the minimum weight plus three points per pound for each pound over the minimum. Example: a 350-pound Blue Marlin would be worth 500 + 300 = 800 points; a 250-pound Swordfish is worth 300 + 300 = 600 points. Any Swordfish or billfish brought back to the scales weighing less than the minimum weight will result in a penalty of 100 points plus two points for each pound below minimum weight and the fish will be disqualified. Without exception, all boated fish must be weighed. Failure to weigh a boated fish will result in tournament disqualification and forfeiture of any previous points, prizes and daily jackpots. A released billfish (Black, Blue or Striped Marlin, Sailfish and Swordfish) is worth 100 points per fish. An official release occurs when the leader or swivel reaches the rod tip or when the leader is grabbed by the mate or a team member. This must be witnessed and verified by the observer and the team is required to photograph the fish with the official tournament cameras provided or the team does not earn the 100 points for the release. The fish does not have to be tagged to be counted as a released fish. Any ties resulting from tournament scoring practices will be decided (broken) based on the earliest time of day the teams involved reached their respective point totals. The team which reached their points first shall be declared the winner.

Gamefish Division: Dorado, Tuna and Wahoo

Each team may enter the official weight of their catch in this division on a daily basis. The two heaviest catches recorded during the three days of fishing will win. The minimum weight necessary to qualify in this category is 25 pounds. If during the three days of fishing there are fewer than two qualifying catches, the unpaid cash prizes will be added to the prize money of the billfish category.

General Rules

A team shall consist of one to five team members with one team member designated as the team captain. Only five anglers may be active at any time. Only one angler change per day is permitted. Angler changes will be recorded by and documented by the team's onboard observer each day. Team captains will be responsible for all correspondence and payments to the Mazatlan Billfish Classic and distribution of all prize money to their team.

A grid map will be provided to all team captains. Tournament Control shall be notified immediately by radio when a fish is hooked-up and then again when it has been released or boated. The team must indicate approximate location according to the grid map, name of the angler, time of hook-up and the type of fish hooked. If tournament control has been notified at the time of hook-up, any fish hooked prior to the "stop fishing" time may be played until lost, released or boated. However, you must observe all weigh-in and check-in times or your catch will not count. Without exception, all boated fish must be weighed on the day caught at the official weigh-in station at the Marina El Cid. There is a weigh-in deadline of 6 p.m. each day (5 p.m. on the last day of fishing). The rod, reel, line, lure, gaff and leader with hook must be presented to the tournament judges for inspection. Tournament Control will conduct a roll each day at 12 noon. Each team must report its position according to the grid map, any fish on-board and any fish released when called by Tournament Control.

Any misrepresentation on the team's signed entry form, signed release affidavits, signed weighmaster affidavits, or violation of any tournament rule will be cause for disqualification and forfeiture of any prize money and merchandise won in the tournament. Decisions by the rules committee of the Mazatlan Billfish Classic, on any question of tournament rules or interpretation, shall be final. Tournament boats shall be required to have a VHF radio for communication purposes. Radio silence must be observed, unless there is an emergency or a hookup, during the last 30 minutes prior to stop fishing. Radio communications between tournament boats will be permitted, but not on the official tournament channel.

All boats must fly the official tournament flag during the tournament. Committee boats, chase boats, camera boats, official observers and a marine biologist may be utilized by tournament officials to aid in the enforcement of all tournament rules. All tournament boats are subject to inspection by tournament officials at any time.

Special Rule

If there are insufficient numbers of qualifying fish, weighed-in or released, to claim all tournament cash prizes, the unclaimed cash prizes will be added to the claimed prizes on a pro-rata basis. If no Super Jackpot division fish are weighed-in, entrants will be refunded 100% of their Super Jackpot entry fee. If no daily jackpot division fish are weighed-in or released, all Daily Jackpot entry fees will be refunded, less the Tournaments portion, which shall be deemed earned. If no qualifying fish are released or weighed-in during the tournament, or if weather causes a cancellation, the tournament will be extended to include Sunday, November 11. One day of fishing will constitute a tournament. If after Sunday there are any unclaimed cash prizes, they will be added to and carried forward to next year's respective cash prizes.

Disqualification

The following acts or situations will disqualify a team or its catch:

1. Fishing before "start fishing" or after "stop fishing" will disqualify all fish caught that day.

2. Any foreign substances (for example: lead weights, ice, metal objects, etc.) found inside the fish results in disqualification of the fish.

3. Mutilation of the fish by propellers or sharks will disqualify the fish.

4. Teams caught communicating in any manner with spotter planes or commercial boats during tournament fishing hours will be disqualified. Boats are not allowed to come within 50 feet of another vessel during fishing hours unless given permission from tournament control.

5. Only team members shall participate. Any fish boated with non-team member assistance will be disqualified. The use of firearms is strictly prohibited.

6. Any other act not in strict compliance with the rules set forth herein.Ç

7. Failure to weigh any boated billfish will disqualify the team from the tournament and result in forfeiture of any and all prizes and prize money.

Observers, Schedule & Procedures

The tournament will assign an unbiased observer to each boat. The observer will be rotated on a daily basis. It is the team captain's responsibility at the end of the day to make sure that the appropriate tournament affidavits are correct, properly signed by all team members and a copy, if desired, kept for the team's records. The observer will turn the original copy over to tournament control immediately upon arriving back at the dock. It is also the team captain’s responsibility to make sure the teams release cameras are turned in each day to the appropriate tournament official.

Boats may start loading observers at 5:30 a.m. Boats may depart the marina at 6:00 a.m. to arrive at the official starting line immediately outside the harbor entrance. Each day of fishing will begin with a 6:30 a.m. shotgun start. Teams may not leave the established start line prior to the 6:30 a.m. start time. Boats may not leave the marina without a tournament-authorized observer onboard. Violation of this rule will result in the automatic disqualification of the team. Stop-fishing is at 4 p.m. on the first two days of the tournament and at 3 p.m. on the last day of fishing. All boats must be inside the harbor and checked-in by tournament control by 6 p.m. on Thursday and Friday and by 5 p.m. on Saturday. Violation of this rule will result in the team's disqualification for that day of fishing.

Rule Change & Protest Policy

Any amendments or additions to the tournament rules will be announced at the mandatory captain's briefing. If there is any disagreement, controversy or necessary clarification of any tournament rule or result, the final irrevocable decision will be made by the tournament’s rules committee.

The violation of any of the rules may result in the automatic disqualification of both the angler and the team unless otherwise noted. All competitors’ protests, if any, must be submitted in writing by a team captain on the same day that the situation generating the protest occurred. Protest regarding weight of a fish must be made before the fish is removed from the scales. It is expressly understood that these protest rules relate to team protests and do not limit the time the tournament has to enforce tournament rules and regulations.

Observer Rules & Policies

The independent observers will be senior cadets from the Mazatlan Merchant Marine Academy. On the 2nd and 3rd day of fishing, teams that are in 1st through 4th place in the Billfish Division will have an official International Gamefish Tournaments Special observer on-board for the day. Last year's 1st through 4th place teams, if entered again this year, will also have an official International Gamefish Tournaments Special observer on-board for Thursday, the first day of fishing.

Mandatory & Random Boat Inspections

As stated earlier, all tournament boats are subject to inspection at any time by tournament officials. In addition to random inspections each day, each team that finds themselves in 1st through 4th place will automatically be inspected each morning before start fishing.

Polygraph Policy

At the sole discretion of the Mazatlan Billfish Classic, all team captains, team members and observers may be required to take a polygraph test administered by the tournament's independent polygraph contractor. All team captains, and their team members, agree to be bound by this provision and to abide by the results thereof.

PLEASE SEE THE 2007 EQUIPMENT & ANGLING RULES